But his government nonetheless needs to make a difficult judgment about which Australians should be charged more,and how much those fees will be,as it approaches the May budget with the promise of addressing its rising aged care bill.
The government has repeatedly delayed the release of an independent review about how to fix aged care funding,which it received in December,as it focuses on cost-of-living relief. Sources familiar with the taskforce report but not authorised to speak publicly said it had made principle-based recommendations and the government would choose how it responded to those.
Aged care, like the National Disability Insurance Scheme,is one of the major structural budget issues Labor must confront. The independent Parliamentary Budget Office estimates aged care costs will climb by more than 82 per cent – or almost $29 billion – to $63.6 billion in 2033-34.
Aged Care Minister Anika Wells sent a strong signal the government would expect more contributions from Australians in return for an improvement in the quality of carewhen she announced the taskforce in June last year.
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While the Coalition has offered bipartisanship,opposition aged care spokeswoman Anne Ruston said the Albanese government was creating confusion and uncertainty by holding back the taskforce’s recommendations.
“Their report is two months delayed,and yet the minister continues to refuse to be transparent with the Australian public and older Australians about what it is intending regarding the financial viability of the sector and support for those who rely on it,” she said.